Wednesday Reading Meme
What I Just Finished Reading: Just two books this week: World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters and Severance by Ming La. Two ends of the spectrum. Reviews below.
What I'm Reading Right Now: I finished my book last night so I haven't started my next one yet.
What I'm Planning to Read Next: Next up will be the Razorland series conclusion, Horde by Ann Aguirre.
05. World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters
The conclusion to The Last Policeman trilogy finds former detective Henry Palace searching for his sister, desperate to reunite with her before the asteroid crashes into Earth in a week. He’s accompanied by Cortez and his little rescue dog, Houdini.
I absolutely LOVED this story. In fact, it’s so good that it’s hard to describe why it’s so good. Do kids still talk about having “all the feels”? Because this book gave me all the feels. It’s moving, powerful, and surprising. The pacing is superb, with some scenes (in the woods, on a farm) making my heart speed up in worrisome anticipation. The wrap-up to Nico’s assertions makes perfect sense, and gave a little hope that big government was on the ball after all. Interesting glimpses into how different people prepare for the end, for good and ill. This story was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time, and the ending is absolute perfection.
What an amazing series.
Dates Read: January 09 to 12, 2024
Page Count: 322
5 out of 5 stars
+ Lost Challenges 74 Letters - March M - male author (05/74)
+ Around The Year in 52 Books 43 - Edgar Award winning author (05/52)
06. Severance by Ming La
This tedious novel was a slog to get through, but I persevered hoping for a good payoff. Boy, was I wrong.
Shen Fever has overtaken the world. It’s a disease that traps people in an endless loop of mundanity. For example, one woman endlessly sets the table, “eats”, puts the dishes away. Then sets the table, “eats”, etc. Candace Chen works in publishing and is thus far immune. She’s shallow, self-absorbed, and entitled, the type of person who likes things “ironically”, and she continues to show up to work long after the city has died. Because, of course, the conceit here is that we are already drones stuck in routines so nothing really changes, a theme already explored more cleverly in many other books and movies.
I’m not sure if the author also intended the “MC is such a horrible, self-centered human being that she doesn’t notice the world dying” part of it. Candace was just such an insufferable character to be stuck with for this story, and I just get the feeling that the author doesn’t see that at all. *shrugs*
The people that Candace eventually meets, and the little rituals they go through, are also unrealistic and inexplicable. Anyone with two brain cells would hightail it out of there, apocalypse or not.
This whole novel made me throw up my hands. Not getting that time back.
Dates Read: January 13 to 16, 2024
Page Count: 291
2 out of 5 stars
+ Lost Challenges 74 Letters - J January - new to you author (06/74)
+ Around The Year in 52 Books 05 - set in one of 25 most beautiful cities, according to Travel & Leisure [New York] (06/52)
+ Challenges & Fandoms Fan Favourite 12 - standalone with one-word title, same first letter as fave solo artist [Steve Perry] (04/16)
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What I'm Reading Right Now: I finished my book last night so I haven't started my next one yet.
What I'm Planning to Read Next: Next up will be the Razorland series conclusion, Horde by Ann Aguirre.
05. World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters
The conclusion to The Last Policeman trilogy finds former detective Henry Palace searching for his sister, desperate to reunite with her before the asteroid crashes into Earth in a week. He’s accompanied by Cortez and his little rescue dog, Houdini.
I absolutely LOVED this story. In fact, it’s so good that it’s hard to describe why it’s so good. Do kids still talk about having “all the feels”? Because this book gave me all the feels. It’s moving, powerful, and surprising. The pacing is superb, with some scenes (in the woods, on a farm) making my heart speed up in worrisome anticipation. The wrap-up to Nico’s assertions makes perfect sense, and gave a little hope that big government was on the ball after all. Interesting glimpses into how different people prepare for the end, for good and ill. This story was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time, and the ending is absolute perfection.
What an amazing series.
Dates Read: January 09 to 12, 2024
Page Count: 322
5 out of 5 stars
+ Lost Challenges 74 Letters - March M - male author (05/74)
+ Around The Year in 52 Books 43 - Edgar Award winning author (05/52)
06. Severance by Ming La
This tedious novel was a slog to get through, but I persevered hoping for a good payoff. Boy, was I wrong.
Shen Fever has overtaken the world. It’s a disease that traps people in an endless loop of mundanity. For example, one woman endlessly sets the table, “eats”, puts the dishes away. Then sets the table, “eats”, etc. Candace Chen works in publishing and is thus far immune. She’s shallow, self-absorbed, and entitled, the type of person who likes things “ironically”, and she continues to show up to work long after the city has died. Because, of course, the conceit here is that we are already drones stuck in routines so nothing really changes, a theme already explored more cleverly in many other books and movies.
I’m not sure if the author also intended the “MC is such a horrible, self-centered human being that she doesn’t notice the world dying” part of it. Candace was just such an insufferable character to be stuck with for this story, and I just get the feeling that the author doesn’t see that at all. *shrugs*
The people that Candace eventually meets, and the little rituals they go through, are also unrealistic and inexplicable. Anyone with two brain cells would hightail it out of there, apocalypse or not.
This whole novel made me throw up my hands. Not getting that time back.
Dates Read: January 13 to 16, 2024
Page Count: 291
2 out of 5 stars
+ Lost Challenges 74 Letters - J January - new to you author (06/74)
+ Around The Year in 52 Books 05 - set in one of 25 most beautiful cities, according to Travel & Leisure [New York] (06/52)
+ Challenges & Fandoms Fan Favourite 12 - standalone with one-word title, same first letter as fave solo artist [Steve Perry] (04/16)
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